Sun shines on accessories in August as heatwave boosts online sales

Online accessories sales rocketed by 48% in August as hot weather ensured shoppers continued to splash out on summer outfits.

According to the latest IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index online sales increased by 16% year-on-year in August, equating to £9.8 billion spent online. The strong performance is in stark contrast to August 2015, during which the Index recorded a growth of just 5%.

The report states the August heatwave is likely to have contributed significantly to the strong performance as shoppers continued to buy summer clothing, resulting in a 20% year-on-year increase for the clothing sector and 48% for accessories. Out of the sectors mentioned in the Index accessories reported the highest online sales increase.

Story continues below

Advertisement

Other sectors boosted by the sunshine included the online sale of alcohol, which saw its first month of growth (4%) since March 2016. The home and garden sectors also recorded a healthy performance in August, increasing 30% and 25% respectively.

Last month marked a significant milestone for smartphone penetration. The Index revealed that for online sales made via a mobile device, 49.5% were made on a smartphone, compared to 50.5% for tablet. This is a year-on-year increase of 18.5% for smartphones, which in August 2015 accounted for just 31% of mobile sales, compared to the 69% made on a tablet.

“The solid performance in online sales continued during August, resulting in overall growth year-to-date reaching 15%, which is ahead of our growth forecast for 2016,” says IMRG chief information officer Tina Spooner. ” Following the initial turbulence reported by some retailers during the week following the EU referendum vote, the latest Index results suggest e-retailers had a successful summer, with many reporting normal trading patterns for this time of year. It appears the weak pound has helped boost international sales for some merchants who have reported buoyant sales from customers outside the UK, with countries within the Eurozone showing particularly strong growth.”

Last month saw online only retailers continue to outperform their multichannel counterparts (those with both an online and a physical presence) recording a 22% annual growth, compared to just 13%.

Bhavesh Unadkat, Capgemini management consultant in retail customer engagement design, adds: “It’s reassuring to see consumer confidence remain buoyant – a growth of 16% on the year is extremely strong. Mobile continues to impress with a near even split between traffic from mobile and desktop. However, the more interesting element is how conversion from smartphones continue to increase, it was under 1% last year and is now nearly 2%. Soon it will double again, and if retailers can hold their traffic and drive that level of conversion then it will not be long before mobile overtakes desktop in online sales. As always, a seamless cross-channel and device journey is key to ensure market share gains are driven at a customer level and not just isolated to one channel.”